Hydrocarbon-vapor generator



Oct. 21 1924. 1.5412474 M. M. LEVINSON HY DROCARBON VAPOR GENERATOR Filed Nov. 28. 1921 INVENTOR: Rams MICHAEL LEW/vs o/v Patented Oct. 21, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MARCUS MICHAEL LEVINSON, 0F ALTADENA, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO WIZARD MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OLE LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION 01? CALIFORNIA.

HYDROCARBO'N-VAPOR GENERATOR.

Application filed November 28, 1921.

To all whomii may concern:

Be it known that I, MARCUS MIGHAEL LEVINSON, a citizen of the Commonwealth of Australia, and residing at Altadena, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented a new and useful Hydrocarbon-Vapor Generator, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to devices in which gases are generated for laboratory or commercial use. i 7

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a device in which hydrocarbon is atomized before the produced gas or the product obtained thereby is allowed to reach the point or place of use.

Another object is to provide a device in which hydrocarbon is atomized and mixed with airbefore being allowed to reach the point or place of use.

Another object is to provide a device which can be used for producing gas for internal combustion engines.

Another object is to provide a device from which a useful gas issues from the very start. 7

Another object is to provide a device in which a useful gas is produced before and during the time that an engine or consuming device or place of use is caused or allowed to draw from the device.

Another object is to provide a device in which the generating of gas is promoted by temperature equalizing means.

Another object is to avoid a developing of carbon deposits within the cylinders and nearby mechanism of internal combustion engines by properly. atomizing and mix ing the atomized fuel with properly heated air to assure a complete combustion.

Other objects will appear from the following description and appended claims as well as from the accompanying drawing, in which- Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of the device in the form used on internal combustion engines for producing the gas to operate such an engine.

Fig. 2 is a cross section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1, illustrating the thermostat control of the device.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary detail side elevation of the gas control.

With reference to the illustrated form, to

Serial No. 518,485.

be used in connection with internal combustion engines, it is desirable to atomize the fuel to a properly preheated vapor and gas to assure a perfect combustion and the most economical use of the gas within the engine without any carbonization of or within any part of the engine.

The most commonly practiced way of evaporating hydrocarbon or liquid fuel is by subjecting the fuel to spraying and dash ing from fine nozzles, allowing such fine spray to mix with air or other matter useful in atomizing the fuel. Spraying and similarly discharging small jets of liquid fuel, however, must be accomplished at such a fast rate and great velocity that small particles of fuel are still carried along in liquid form, causing different troubles, as loss of power, carbonization, and wear due to carbon.

The present invention has been prepared with the idea of vaporizing and gasifying the fuel before it passes to a point of use. An electric heater is disposed to preheat and evaporate the fuel at a point before the gas control valve. The electric heating member 4 is disposed within the tube 5 to heat the fuel passing through the tube 5, in the device illustrated in Fig. 1 in the drawing. The device is designed to fit on the intake manifold of an internal combustion engine. The flange 6 on the upper end of the main body 7 connects the device to the engine. The throttle valve 8 controls the discharge passage 9. A cross tube 10 is provided for allowing air to pass into the device. The tube 11 extends from the flange 6 to a point within the tube 10. A heat-inlet connection 12 is provided near the upper end of the main casin or tube 7, and a heat discharge connection 13 is provided near the lower end of the main casing. These heat connections are preferably arranged to allow the exhaust from the internal combustion engine to pass through the main casing, thereby passing around the air inlet tube 10* and the gas discharge tube 11 as well as around the fuel inlet tube 5.

The electric heating of the device is preferably only applied for starting the gasifying process, and the exhaust heating is being used during the normal operation of the device after the gasifying of the fuel 'rocks or any other similar suit-able matter for breaking up'the passing fuel into the smallest particles while passing through the tube and while being heated by the electric heating member 4:.

Heating a properly atomized fuel tends to ga-sify it quickly and thoroughly.

The gas discharge passage 16 is controlled by the needle valve 17, operative by the disc member 18.

I When the throttle valve 8 is opened, the disc member 18 is lifted by the stream pass; ing through the tube 11, and the needle valve 17 is lifted from the passage 16, freeing communication with the discharge. opening 19 into the mixing chamber 20.

The fuel supply is controlled by an automatically operated check valve at 21, and by a manually or similarly operated valve at 22. The valve at 22 is preferably connected by its operating lever 23 to the operating lever 24 of the throttle valve 8.

The automatically controlled valve consists mainly of a ball 25 placed to control communication between the passage or conduit 26. and the passage 27 by gravity of the ball. An electrically influenced core 28 is disposed over the ball to attract the ball when 'an-electrio current is applied to the connections 29 and 30. These connections are preferably within the circuit of the ignie tion system of an internal combustion en-,, gine, so that the ball 25 is retained in lifted position whenever and as long as the ignition circuit is closed, and so that the ball automatically falls and thereby closes the supply communication as soon as the ignition circuit is turned off.

In this manner, there is normally only a small amount of fuel in the atomizing and preheating tube 5, so that, on closing of the starting circuit, this small amount of fuel is quickly and thoroughly gasified before the throttle 8 is opened.

Using this device on internal combustion engines, the exhaust of the engine is preferably used for preheating and heating the fuel and gas as soon as the exhaust passes in a suitably heated form through the main tube 7 and the connections 12 and 13. The electric heating member 4- is then by that time without electric current since the starting system is turned off.

'lVlien this device is used where no exhaust or similar heating medium is available, the electric heating system may, of course, be maintained for permanently heating the fuel and gas.

The exhaust passage is preferably controlled by a valve. In Fig. 1, a throttle is indicated at 31, operative by a thermostat 32. The thermostat merely consists of different metals subject to different movements under changes of the temperature, one end of the thermostat being secured to the honsing as indicated at 33, and the other end of the thermostat being connected to the throttle 31, so that, on a contraction or an expansion of the thermostat, the throttle is operated and controlled automatically corresponding to the heat in the casing 7, and the heat in the casing 7 in turn is there by controlled to suitably heat the fuel and gas.

The movements of the needle valve 17, in control of the gas discharge, are limited by the screw 35, the operation of which may be understood from the illustration in Fig. 3. By withdrawing the screw from the housing 7, the needle valve 17 is free for an extended movement, while, on a further insertion of the screw into the housing 7, the movements of the needle valve 17 are more limited, no matter how far the main throttle 8 is opened or to what an extent the force amounts that passes through the tube 11.

Short recesses or grooves 36 are provided in the inner surface of the tube 11 at points to allow a small amount of gas to pass, even when the throttle is closed, so that. an engine may run idle.

The air inlet tube 10 is provided with automatically operating valves 36, shiftably mounted on the stems 37. Light springs 38 control the air passage and air inlet, while heavy and strong springs 39 respond only to explosion or back fire within the device.

I do not limit myself to the specific design illustrated in the drawing but only to the principles disclosed thereby in con nection with the specification and the appended claims.

Several models of this generator have been in operation with practically no carbon troubles, besides giving complete combustion of the fuel due to improved gasifying of the fuel, resulting in three to four times the mileage of other carburetors.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a hydrocarbon vapor generator, a gasifier embodying vaporizing and preheating means having a vapor discharging termination, air supplying means in communication with and surrounding the said dlschargmg termination and forming a mixing chamber, a discharging connection I for the air-mixed vapor in the mixing chamber extending from the said mixing chamber, a throttlevalve in the discharging connection for controlling the draft through the connection, a needle-valve operatively disposed over the discharging termination of the gasifier having a disc-like portion operative by the draft through the discharging connection on opening of the throttle-valve, and a cas ing surrounding the gasifier with air-supplying and vapor-discharging connections and forming a heating chamber around the mixing chamber.

2. In a hydrocarbon vapor generator, 21 gasifier embodying vaporizing means having a vapor discharging termination, airsupp-lying means in communication with and surrounding the said discharging termination and forming a mixing chamber, a discharging connection for the air-mixed vapor in the mixing chamber extending from the said mixing chamber, a throttlevalve in the discharging connection, a needle-valve operatively disposed over the discharging termination of the gasifier having a disc-like portion operative by the draft through the discharging connection on opening of the throttle-valve, a casing surrounding the gasifier and air-supplying means with the mixing chamber and having inlet and outlet connections for passing the exhaust of an internal combustion engine through the casing, and a thermostatically-controlled throttle-valve for controlling the passage through the casing.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

MARCUS MICHAEL LEVINSON. v Witnesses:

O. H KRUEGER, JESSIE A. MANOCK. 

